Jeddah school fire kills 2 teachers, injures 46 others

The fire broke out at the school’s underground floor, possibly caused by an electric short circuit. But officials have not revealed the reason for the fire that broke out at 12:57 in the afternoon at the Baraim Al-Watan school. The girls school had kindergarten, elementary and intermediate sections.
The toll, released by authorities, said two teachers had died, 46 injured and 23 have left the various hospitals where they received treatment. Of the remainder of those injured, two are still in the intensive care unit, while the remaining cases are of minor and medium degree.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who visited the school on hearing about the accident, said a committee has been set up to investigate the reason for the fire.
He traveled from Makkah, where he was chairing a meeting of the Haj Central Committee, to inspect the school’s accident.
Speaking to Arab News, Prince Khaled said Civil Defense officers have been asked to present their report as quickly as possible. “We’ll take necessary action soon after the report is out from the investigation committee,” the governor said.
“We have learned from Maj. Gen. Adel Zamzami, director of Civil Defense, that the school has emergency exits and other safety means. However, we’ll wait for the final report to take necessary measures,” he added.
“I received the news of the fire while I was inside the governorate in Makkah attending a meeting. I rushed immediately to Jeddah to see the incident for myself,” the governor said.
Prince Khaled and Education Minister Prince Faisal bin Abdullah conveyed their condolences to the bereaved families.
The education minister also instructed Noura Al-Fayez, deputy minister, to visit the school and inspect the conditions of the injured and make sure that they got good medical treatment.
Witnesses told Arab News that the plastic toys and play materials that were stored in the underground floor caught fire, sending heavy smoke to upper floors of the four-story building.
The cause of the deaths of the two teachers was not released, but sources said that they possibly died of asphyxiation.
There were reports of a near stampede toward the exits while some witnesses reported that some students had jumped through windows.
“Smoke billowed into the classrooms, forcing teachers and students to break glasses of windows and shout for help,” one witness told Arab News.
The Civil Defense deployed nine firefighting and rescue teams to the school. The Health Department in Jeddah declared an emergency at all hospitals in the city to receive the fire victims for treatment. More firefighting units were sent to quell the blaze as quickly as possible.
Stairs and helicopters were used to rescue students from the school, a Civil Defense official said. Air ambulance service of Saudi Red Crescent Authority was also called in to transport victims.
Apart from the first-aid services of the Civil Defense, medical teams of government and private hospitals were called in to support rescue services.
Injured students and teachers were taken to a nearby hospital to provide first-aid services before transferring them to King Fahd Hospital.
The Civil Defense used special Snorkel trucks to rescue 55 students from upper floors of the building while the air ambulance carried three of the injured to hospital after landing on the school’s terrace.
Students and teachers rushed out of the building through emergency exits to save themselves from the fire, which broke out when school was about to close for the day. About 2,000 parents were waiting for their wards outside. The school has 700 students on its rolls in addition to 150 teachers and administrators.
People who had assembled around the school welcomed Prince Khaled with applause. He greeted the onlookers while getting out of the fire-hit building where firefighters were still battling to bring the blaze under control.
Gen. Zamzami said the fire broke out from the underground floor of the building that was allocated for children’s plays and games. “It contained a huge amount of plastic materials covering 60 sq. meters. Heavy smoke billowed out of the underground, spreading to classrooms in upper floors,” he explained.
He said most pupils were suffering from minor injuries, adding that a good number of them have already left hospital after receiving treatment.
“We don’t know the reason for the death of the two women. It may be because of burns or suffocation,” the Civil Defense official said. “We are awaiting reports from doctors to determine the exact reason.”
Gen. Zamzami denied reports that some students had jumped out of windows to escape from fire. “Students have broken window glasses to clear the smoke and get fresh air,” he added.
He said his organization has already launched the investigation. “Our officers have taken samples from the spot in order to determine the cause of the fire. They will also check electricity supply lines to know whether it was caused by a short circuit.”
Zamzami commended Prince Khaled for showing personal interest in the incident. “Before the fire, I was with the governor attending a meeting in Makkah. Then I received a call informing me about the fire. I told the prince I am going to Jeddah to supervise efforts to quell the fire, he immediately told me that he would join me very soon. Prince Khaled arrived at the spot within minutes after my arrival.”
He said apart from firefighting and rescue units, first-aid officers from the Civil Defense, Red Crescent and the Health Department took part in handling the situation at the school.
Many parents had rushed into the school to look for their children. “It was quite natural,” the general said. He said no Civil Defense officers were injured in the incident. “The school was having all safety and security means as we’ll not allow any school to operate without such facilities.”
Brig. Abdullah Jeddawi, director of Civil Defense in Jeddah, said all students and teachers were evacuated soon after the arrival of the rescue teams using special stairs and helicopters.
He said the presence of a large number of parents and onlookers around the school hampered the work of Civil Defense officers. “We found it difficult to reach the accident spot quickly. We don’t blame parents and husbands for their concern. It’s quite natural as they wanted to make sure their daughters and wives were safe.”
He said the firefighters had come from various centers to contain the fire as quickly as possible. “We had mobilized the largest number of firefighting units to control the fire,” he added.
Capt. Abdul Rahman Al-Ghamdi, deputy spokesman of Civil Defense in the Makkah region, said the department received the information about the fire at 12:57. In the beginning we sent five firefighting and four rescue units and two ladder units of and a Snorkel unit, three first-aid units, a water tank, a smoke sucking device and other support vehicles and equipment.
Two security planes and two air ambulances of Red Crescent took part in the rescue operation, he pointed out. Saudi Electricity Company and Education Department officials were also present. He said some cases have been admitted to intensive care units.
Dr. Sami Badawood, director of health in Jeddah, said the number of deaths could increase as two of the injured are in serious condition. Dr. Salim Basalama, director of King Fahd Hospital, said all surgeons including cosmetic surgeons have been called in for duty.